Overtone flute
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vinegaroon
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Overtone flute
Hello! I'm trying to make my own overtone flute (with fipple). I can get it to sound when it is unstopped, but when stopped, the number of overtones and sound quality severely diminishes, if any note is produced at all. What are the factors that influence this and how should they be changed?
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hans
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Re: Overtone flute
What are the dimensions, length of tube, bore diameter?
Can you cleanly stop the end?
Is the tube smooth inside?
How strong is your tone, does your fipple produce a clean sound?
As for actual number of notes produced by overblowing:
An open tube will produce by overblowing each note of the harmonic series of the fundamental, up to some point, depending on length to bore ratio and cleanness of tone. A narrower bore will get you higher than a wider bore with same length.
When the tube is closed at the end, the fundamental will drop an octave, and the notes you can get by overblowing will only be the odd ones of the harmonic series.
So instead of note 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 of the series you only get 1 3 5 7 9 11.
This is because the vibrating air column has always a node at the stopped end, and is 1/4 wave length, instead of 1/2 wave length as for an open tube.
Also bear in mind that all overblown notes are progressively flat compared to the harmonic series on the fundamental. this can be compensated somewhat by blowing harder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_s ... 28music%29
Can you cleanly stop the end?
Is the tube smooth inside?
How strong is your tone, does your fipple produce a clean sound?
As for actual number of notes produced by overblowing:
An open tube will produce by overblowing each note of the harmonic series of the fundamental, up to some point, depending on length to bore ratio and cleanness of tone. A narrower bore will get you higher than a wider bore with same length.
When the tube is closed at the end, the fundamental will drop an octave, and the notes you can get by overblowing will only be the odd ones of the harmonic series.
So instead of note 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 of the series you only get 1 3 5 7 9 11.
This is because the vibrating air column has always a node at the stopped end, and is 1/4 wave length, instead of 1/2 wave length as for an open tube.
Also bear in mind that all overblown notes are progressively flat compared to the harmonic series on the fundamental. this can be compensated somewhat by blowing harder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_s ... 28music%29
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Innocent Bystander
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Re: Overtone flute
If you are using a simple pipe with a moveable fipple, try shifting the fipple down towards the windway blade. Instrument Makers will tell you that there is a correct proportion for the opening, but opinions vary as to what that is. An overtone flute reacts differently from a whistle. Moving your fipple a millimetre can make a big difference in the overtones you can manage.
I started with a Scandinavian style willowflute, and although I have a lovely one in wood, from Magnar Storbrakken in Norway, mostly I play my own plumbing-pipe flutes on the Konchovka model.
The air temperature and humidity make a difference, and I like to be able to shift the fipple to suit conditions. Shifting the windway cover makes a big difference too. It shouldn't be flush with the fipple, but a millimetre or two below. Of course, that's my opinion, and you may disagree, but I'm sure you will find that those are the variables to work with. There isn't much more to an overtone flute!
I started with a Scandinavian style willowflute, and although I have a lovely one in wood, from Magnar Storbrakken in Norway, mostly I play my own plumbing-pipe flutes on the Konchovka model.
The air temperature and humidity make a difference, and I like to be able to shift the fipple to suit conditions. Shifting the windway cover makes a big difference too. It shouldn't be flush with the fipple, but a millimetre or two below. Of course, that's my opinion, and you may disagree, but I'm sure you will find that those are the variables to work with. There isn't much more to an overtone flute!
Wizard needs whiskey, badly!